Allen To Return Kickoffs

Kickoff Returner Asher Allen

Not that it should come as any surprise, since he set Georgia’s single-season record last season, but Asher Allen will handle kickoff returns again.

Running backs coach Tony Ball, who oversees kickoff returns, said he’s searching for some reliable backups among Remarcus Brown, Caleb King, Richard Samuel and Carlton Thomas. They’re the ones who got all the reps Saturday.

“Asher knows what he’s doing. I need to look at those guys so I don’t need to get Asher a bunch of reps,” Ball said. “… Right now, until I can feel comfortable with someone else being able to field kicks — and that’s the first thing you’ve got to be able to do — Asher’s the guy.”

– Courtesy of AJC.com

Still A Long Line At Kick Returner

Kick Returner Asher Allen

This morning’s scrimmage was the first time the Bulldogs have put together a full kick return, and running backs coach Tony Ball said behind Asher Allen (who returned 28 kicks for 690 yards last season), it’s still pretty much an open race.

“It’s really going to start with the back unit. Right now we’re going to work Ramarcus (Brown) and Richard Samuel, Caleb King and Carlton Thomas back deep,” he said.

“Asher knows what he’s doing and we need to take a look at those guys so we don’t need to give Asher a bunch of reps. My main focus right now is really trying to find 10 guys, at least two deep in that front unit, that can athletically do what we need them to do to get those deep guys loose.

He said the main reason Allen is still in the No. 1 spot ahead of all four of those freshman running backs is, well, experience. And he can catch the ball.

“Right now until I can feel comfortable with someone else being able to field kicks (Asher’s it), because that’s the first thing they go to do, they’ve got to be able to field the kicks. And until I can feel comfortable with someone else back there doing it he’s the guy.”

That said, he did mention that Samuel and King are the front runners for the No. 2 spot, but that this afternoon’s scrimmage would play a big role in determining that further.

“Right now that No. 2, that No. 3 spot, we need to know who that is and they’ll both get an equal amount of reps and then we’ll be able to assess what changes need to be made . You’ve got five guys that really have to make a statement this afternoon.” (The fifth guy he had mentioned later in the interview was sophomore TB Kalvin Daniels).

Freshman kicker Blair Walsh said he felt good, and that he spent the majority of his time during the scrimmage working on getting more hang time on his kickoffs and trying to pin them in the right corner of the field.

“We got a lot of really good work in, and we’ve got a lot of big questions to answer in our kicking game, and this is the time to answer them,” tight end Tripp Chandler said. “I think our special teams as a whole stood out, I think we looked really good.”

– Courtesy of The Red & Black